Sketch Saturday #142

Have I mentioned before how much I love Sketch Saturday?  Well I do.  It's such a mental boost to have a pattern to work to sometimes.  Particularly if you're in a hurry and don't really have much time to think.  I've taken part this week with this sketch...

And made this card which I'm entering for the challenge......

Made as a new home card (can you tell??? LOL) the house stamp is part of a delightful set I was given by my Dutch friends.  Papers are by Papermania, I think, which I've just distressed slightly using soot black, and I’ve added some card candy.  Chipboard flourish is Maya Road, triple embossed using gold EP. The house is coloured in using Copic markers, framed with a Nesties die (Labels 4, maybe?) and the sentiment had the corners shaped with a Fiskars corner empunch.  Love those – just absolutely fab.  Sentiment printed using the PC. 

Hope you like it!

Another Wednesday, Another WOYWW (#89 in fact)

Here we are again, Wednesday is upon us and it’s time to start the weekly desk hop brought to us by the rolltop revealing, lectern loving, desk diva extraordinaire, Ms Julia Dunnit herself. Is that enough of a entrance? LOL

I didn’t take part last week because, well, I didn’t feel like it. I didn’t have time to do a scheduled post (no word of a lie!) and there wasn’t anything happening on my desk anyway. I guess I could have recycled the previous week’s photo, but where’s the fun in that????  I did have a quick hop around a couple of blogs though...

Well, here’s my desk this week, and there’s plenty on it. A card I was in the throes of making (see completed card below – Sorry Debs, guess it got blogged before you saw it!) at the time of taking the photo, and two circle journals. One I have to do something to, but didn’t manage it this weekend past, even though I said I would on UKStampers. Hangs head in shame…. The other CJ is my own one back, and when I get time I will photograph it and upload it. Except that you can’t actually see it at the moment, it’s in that big jiffy bag! The one I have to work on is actually on the desk though. Well, on a pile of things on the desk.

I don't have anything else to report, so I’ll just show you the finished card instead.

I won’t say much about it other than you can find the deets HERE – I’m entering it for Sketch Saturday and it really needs a separate post.

Catch you on the hop!

Thanks Sandra.....

for tagging me!

I think it might be my very first.  At the least, it's my second, but if it is it's been so long since the first one I've forgotten who when and what!

Anyways, this is quite a special tag....

There are a couple of conditions attached to this award:

Once TAGGED and if you want to participate, then you create a post where you post the 'LOVE BLOG' image.

You should also blog the persons link that gave you the award and inform her/him that you accept the award.

You then choose 3 - 5 favourite blogs which you also link in your post, then inform each blogger that they have been tagged.

The aim of the award is that we bring good blogs to light, folks who are quite a small concern, who maybe haven't had many tags or blog awards, so I would ask you not to blog fellow bloggers that already have 3,000 followers. Just new blogs with a small group of followers.

First up I need to say a huge thanks to sandra de who is the sweetheart who has kindly tagged me.

Secondly, I've put the pic in once, but I'll go for a second shot for good measure:

And lastly,  I will pass the award along to:

Sasa who always exudes elegance with her craft, and looks like she's having a blast doing it....

Minxy for just being fantastic - she's not been so well, but has managed to run swaps etc and her style of craft is fab.

Lavinia definitely gets a shout from me - she shows just exactly WHAT is possible with things that some of the...erm....more snobby crafters amongst us will turn their noses up at.  Which is a shame.  Lavinia has vision and talent, and does not conform to the current trends.  Or another way to put it is that she has peeloffs and she's not afraid to use them.  To great effect, I might add.

Susan Raihala gets my next vote - talk about stripping back and laying bare crafting!  The whole point of her blog is to keep it simple, pare right back to the bare minimum, particularly with her One Layer Wednesday challenge.  It's quite liberating, and you soon learn not to fear white spaces.  Go Susan!

Finally, Voodoo Vixen.  I would tag her for no other reason than her fantastic work space, if there was no other reason.  However, the work she turns out is worth a look at and very inspirational.

If you don't want to participate that's ok -  the whole point is for you to know that your blog has been recognised and we want others to know about your cool blog .....

Sketch Saturday 140 - New Baby Card

I’ve actually got around to entering this once again! One of my longstanding schoolfriends had a second child at the beginning of January, and thanks to Panto, I’ve only just had the time to a) find out that she had a girl, and b) make a card! So, I thought I’d make the most of the opportunity and head over to my favourite sketch blog (Sketch Saturday) and take part this week in their current sketch challenge.

Here is the sketch:

Eh Voila - the card:

Image is one of Mo Manning’s gorgeous baby girl digi stamps, coloured with Copics. I didn’t do what is the current Copic style, if you know what I mean – I wanted a more watercolour look so I stuck to very light colours, and very little of them. I also was careful, but not too careful, about colouring within the lines - water colours a rarely perfectly coloured.  There's a fine line between getting this right and wrong!  I then used my southwest corner punch and wrapped pink embroidery floss (it’s a DMC one, but I failed to make a note of the number at the time) around the picture and stuck it to a silver layer. The card has pale pink gingham paper as a base layer, with the lower element made up of white card punched with a Martha Stewart punch, pink card and a white Satin ribbon. There I deviated ever so slightly from the sketch by adding the sentiment “It’s a girl” which is from a Rubbadubbadoo set, and die cut with a Nesties labels die. Flowers and small brads finish it off nicely, methinks!

These photos have, though, made me realise that I REALLY need to sort out a decent light tent and lights for these sorts of photos!  Something to add to the wish list for this year...... hehehehehe

Panto Cards....

Well, I promised photos of the cards I made for our Peter Pan cast, and here they are. My apologies for the poor photography – I took the pictures for these on Mr B’s camera as my own was at the theatre in the dressing room. Tsk, stoopid me.

There’s also two cards missing. You know how it is. You run of four very basic and simple cards in a hurry because you’ve forgotten to do them the day before you need them, and then after you’ve finished and taken all the pics, you remember there’s two more to do. Fast. As you’re running late. I do remember that when we got to the theatre that afternoon, we arrived 30 minutes before the show, and got a round of applause for actually turning up. It appears they were just starting to worry about our whereabouts. Oops.

Anyway, onto the cards.

All the images were located via Google Images – I’m sure Disney would have a major problem with me using an image of Tink, but never mind, eh? It’s not like I sold them. I took basic images of Peter Pan, Tink and the Dames, matted and layered them with coloured and/or metallic card (or glitter, in the case of Tink), mounted onto either square or A6 cards, and then added card candy, ribbon or peel-offs. Or any combination of the above.

The two missing cards were for Smee and Starkey . So, for Smee I used a picture of, well, Smee, and as Starkey played a very camp gay pirate, I found an image of a rainbow flag with a black skull and crossbones on it. Perfect! That one was teamed up with plenty of pink, as that’s what was in his costume…

They all seemed to like them though, and I enjoyed the challenge of churning out as many as I could in the shortest space of time -  6 in 90 minutes!

WOYWW 87 - the it's behind you one....

That's it.

Panto is over for another year.  Oh alright then, 8 months, until rehearsals start up again!

Anyway, you've had enough of me blathering on about it for the last 4 months or so, so it's back to the creation station, and another round of WOYWW thanks to the delightful Mrs Dunnit.

So, just a quickie from me this week. Yeh, likely story I hear you say.... as I don't have an awful lot of time.  And I'm doing this before bed on Tuesday night because I probably won't have time tomorrow.

On my desk this week is.....

Ta dah!

Not a lot.  Unless you count the various backing papers and some Mo Manning digital images I bought tonight and printed off.  I printed several, cos you just know you're gonna cock up somewhere aong the line.  Anyways, I'm making a very belated new baby card.  So belated that the bambino in question is now almost a whole month old.  Still, it's good to start getting back into the swing of things.

I've also finally started to apply myself to my Photoshop Elements software, in the hope that I might master it enough to create digital scrapbook pages the likes of Cathy Zielske would be happy with.  I can dream can't I?

I can't remember who on my travels last week had a nice shiny new craft space and was trying to work out how to store her scissors etc, but here's a pic of what I do.  Admitted, the cable ties add a certain je ne sais quoi to the whole affair, but they're temporary cos we can't drill holes in our little rented walls.... I think the hooks were utensil hooks or similar - they're too closely spaced for cup hooks (in fact, we had to cut every other hook off in order to hang the scissors) but they do the job just fine.  as long as I don't buy any more scissors.



Well, that's me done.  Told you it was short and sweet this week. Catch you around on the blog hop!

WOYWW 86 - nearly done....

Good morning WOYWWers - Hi-de-hi!

LOL

Just a quickie from me this week as I'm rushing to get out and Lil Miss B needs dropping off at swimming before school.

Here's my desk - a bit tidier than last week and looking hopeful.  I did managed a little bit of crafting on Saturday morning - the Hookster suddenly realised he needed a load of "break a leg" cards for cast and principles.  I managed to rustle up 6 in 90 minutes, and will add the pics as soon as I get them off his camera.  My camera was still at the theatre from the previous night, so I didn't get a decent shot.  Aside from the cross-stitch I still haven't finishted, on the desk is a drawer full of my collection of Mill Hill beads....

And here, for your delight and delectation is Captain Hook.

Well, I think he's hot!

For those of you that might just be interested, the "metal" and gem plates on Hook's baldric (the slanty belt thing that holds his sword) were made with one of the Nesties labels dies, silver card, and the Cuttlebug textile embossing folder.  I then blacked the silver card up a bit to dull it down (not too twinkly under stage lights) and glued gems on.

Catch you around!

WOYWW 85..... oh no it isn't....oh yes it is!

Welcome to WOYWW!  For those that are aliens from Zog (or indeed, people who have just dropped in on a random bloghop), for more info on WOYWW, go and visit our chaperone and general desk jockey Julia here for more info!

So what IS on my work desk this Wednesday?  Well, I thought I'd be a bit different this week.  Panto is drawing ever closer - three rehearsals left (tonight, tomorrow and Friday) and then the shows begin.  Some of you (including Karen) have asked what I'm doing in the panto personally.  I mean, you already know Mr B is Captain Hook!  Well, I'm in the chorus as a random pirate for a start.  I'm also the sword fight choreographer (but they've epically failed to put that into the programme - I am so not chuffed about that) and scenery painter, and occasional prop hag.  I'm also a proud "Mum", as Lil Miss B is playing one of the Lost Boys, and a very proud partner to Mr B.  And also I'm sometimes the chauffeur, though Mr B does most of that.  Being so involved with the creation side of the panto, at present, this is my workdesk! 

To explain...

We hire some AMAZING (and some not, but that's another tale) backdrops from a fab company in Wales.  They have hundreds of different ones, but the snag is that you can't have them until the week before your show.  You can have a pic of what you're getting, to get an idea of what you need to do to the rest of your scenery to make it blend in, but as for colour matching, that has to wait until you have the backcloth under stage lighting in front of you to get the colours just right.  We have a set designer, but it's kinda my job to do a lot of the painting and direct others with what I'd like them to achieve.  I made the mistake last year, when I joined the group, of joining in with the painting and now they think I can paint.  I'd not painted a single piece of scenery before then.  In fact, my art teacher used to have to beg and cajole me to even pick up a paintbrush; I used to only work on A4 sheets with pencils!  Ulp!  I don't consider myself to be an artist - creative yes, artist, no.  I just happen to know how to make things look three-dimensional.

Thus, the entire theatre is my workdesk at the moment, and I even have little men running about in it doing my bidding.  Hmmm, maybe I should rephrase that.  Mr B might see this and he's up that ladder there....!!

Amongst this year's scenery we have a reservation scene, a beach scene, a flying scene (thankfully that's just a backdrop and some dry ice, no painting!), the nursery, and the pirate ship.  The ship backcloth is fantastic - I am SO in awe of who paints these! - but it's causing a major headache with the flats as we have to match the ship sides in.... scary stuff.  the palm trees were fun though, especially as people didn't "get " them when the trunks were bare....

and I had to reassure them that they'd be ok.  I think they're ok..... don't you?

At home, my real workdesk has even more panto on it.  Two tankards that started out as clear plastic and Mr B's hook.  It's been a bit fun trying to work out how to make it - we wanted it to be as realistic as possible, as most of the costume hooks you can buy still allow free movement of the wrist (something you are rather lacking when your hand has been eaten by a crocodile....LOL), so we've made up an arrangement that (just) fits under his costume, restricts his movement, and yet doesn't look quite so plastic.  We have to glue the hook to the armpiece, and I can assure you that it looks WAY better when he's wearing his costume.  Made from one costume hook, one boiled potato can, one coke bottle, and Ten Seconds Studio metal.  Eagle eyed folk might just be able to work out that I've used Big Daddy Mould #4.  LOL. (Picture was taken last night)



This  morning I finished off the tankards with a dry brush coat of silver to get the appearance of being pewter rather than plastic.  Fetching doncha think?

Ok, I gotta run..... Thanks to all of you who commented last week, will be commenting this week, and to whom I may not have enough time to visit.....  Catch you around on The Hop!

Oooh - and a big hello to Noreen who has just found my blog doing a search on the Panto, cos her daughter is involved with it!!!!  ROFL- welcome to WOYWW Noreen!

WOYWW 84 - the non-descript one

Good Morning all!  And how are we this fine day?  Tired?  Happy?  Bored?  Fed Up?

Likewise....

This is the worst week of January, methinks.  Only in my case it's tempered by the fact that my company pays us on the 15th - which this month will be the 14th cos the 15th is a Saturday.  Gives one something to look forward to! 

It's also a week where I feel suspended in mid air.  Coiled like a gazelle ready to spring into action.  In the distance I hear the ghostly chants of "He's behind you" and "Oh no it isn't" as we're almost at the panto.   Last night a photographer arrived from the New Forest Journal and I managed to get this somewhat humourous shot of Tink and Hook together:

The proximity to the main panto event should hopefully go some way to explaining why my desk looks like this:

Fairly bare, just a cross stitch piece on that I'm working on for the mo.  I should add at this point that I'm not just a stamper - I do loads of other crafts too (so many hobbies, so little time!) and every year I try to make an ornament for the Christmas tree.  I have three other charmed stockings on my tree, so I bit the bullet, ordered the remaining three just before Christmas, and now have some small projects to undertake before next year.  No rush!

In case you're wondering why I'm blathering on about my desk, every week there is a phenomenon, yes, truly a phenomenon (heheheh managed to get big word in twice!) known as What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  Go and pay Julia a visit here to find out more.

I haz to dash............. see you on the bloghop!

WOYWW 83 - A Happy New Year to everyone.....

I'd love to be able to say what a surprise it is, how fast the year has flown, but that's not strictly true.  We've spent the last year commenting on how speedily the weeks have passed, so it'd be nothing new to say here.  It would, however, be correct of me to say that Christmas shot by faster that expected, especially as I completely missed out on last week's WOYWW.  (If that series of letters leaves you feeling decidedly ? shaped, go to Julia's Stamping Ground to find out what the Desk Diva Extraordinaire is up to.

Christmas for me this year did pass by in a blur.  I would like to thank my Operations Director Sean (not my personal Ops Director cos that would be me, stoopid, I mean that of the company I work for) for coming into work the week before Crimble with man-flu and duly handing it out to the staff like the florid-faced Santa he was.  Bah humbug.  Yep, I was one of the ones that got it, and as I write this on Monday night, I'm only really just over it enough to comtemplate work tomorrow.  Oh, how I wish to put a hex on he.

Yes, I'm doing this on Monday night cos we're still in the throes of panto and I won't have time tomorrow to set this up for Wednesday a.m.  Live with it.

So, to sum Christmas up in one picture and one word....

Random. 

That was what Lil' Miss B said.  "Sometimes, Santa can be really RANDOM". We're blessed in that she still believes in Mr Claus, despite having reached double figures.  It could be that she's playing along this year, but I'm guessing next year she'll be a normal secondary school kid.  However, it meant that this year we could still have the fun of the old mince pie, milk and carrot routine, and insist she went to bed early etc.  She still did her Santa list, and he was kind enough to oblige with most of the items on it (she's not a greedy kid, luckily!) and a few she hadn't asked for, like the above Jacob's Ladder toy.

Well darn me if that hasn't been the item most played with.....

Oh what, yes.... I'm digressing!  The real reason you're here is WOYWW, isn't it?

So, what did Santa bring you, little girl?  Aside from the whopping great credit card bill, that is?  Um.  Not that much actually!  I can't really recall what I got on the main day, for the reason that it passed in a paracetamol-and-codeine-induced haze.  I recall chocolate.  I recall a scarf.  I definitely recall jewellery.  I also recall, as they're in the pic below, that I got a jeweller's vice (aka helping hands) and a pair of crimp bead pliers.  Oh, and a nice Avenged Sevenfold CD.  And a couple of Jethro Tull ones too.  We'll pretend, though, that I haven't mentioned both those bands in the same paragraph.

Happy New Year!